A Place Called Home
by HimmelsDraculina
Summary: Jin is wounded and floating down a river. A girl saves him and lets him take refuge in her home for awhile. Rated 'T' for a couple kisses and German swearing.This was a oneshot but now its a series because my friend said it was too long to be a oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Yeah, so this is my first fanfiction. Be nice, please. Most of this story is based on real expeirences and you might find some song or book quotes. I'm kind of curious to see if anyone finds them. A few are obvious. I hope you enjoy this. If I get some good reviews I might submit another story, but this is strictly a oneshot. I don't think I could do a series of chapters. Thanks if you read my little story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Champloo, but I do own Kawazoe Kumiko, Toyo, Amane, and Tsubaki.**

**Oh! Almost forgot! I put Kumiko's name in the traditional format of last name first and then the first name. Kumiko means 'eternal beautiful child' and Kawazoe means 'riverside' in case anybody was wondering...carry on.**

**Some of you might recognize this story as a oneshot, but I split it all up into a series, because one of my friends complained that it was too long to read all at once...**

**A Place Called Home**

"Why am I so cold?" He thought, "So cold…"

He breathed in deeply, only to find his breath cut short by a sudden gasp of pain.

"It feels like I'm moving. What's going on?" He opened his eyes as he thought this and saw a river surrounding him. The water was tainted red and had a few chunks of ice in it.

"Heh," he thought, "That's why it's so cold."

His unconscious form continued to float down the river. At his steady pace, he began to drift towards the bank. Had he been at least half-conscious he would have grabbed on to the nearest branch or rock, but since Murphy's Law always took his toll on whomever it can get its claws on, the man continued down the river.

The village people bustled around Kawazoe Kumiko as she did her weekly errands at the same day and at the same time. Strange that a young girl like her would have such a persist schedule. Every seven days, she leaves her house and rides her horse to get anything she needs. Today, she needs flour and sugar and she had one of her strange and rare urges to eat out. Can you tell she doesn't have much of a social life?

She entered the Ruri Tea house owned by a husband and wife named Toyo and Amane.

"Kawazoe-Chan! So glad to see you! I wish you would come out of that house of yours and visit more often!" Toyo said cheerfully.

"I told you, please, just call me Kumiko." She said smiling. "And besides, I am younger then you, so shouldn't I be the one calling you something in a respectful manner?"

He merely waved her comment away and showed her where to sit.

"Is Amane here?" Kumiko asked.

"No, she has fallen ill a couple days ago, so she won't be in for awhile."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope she feels better."

"I think she would be more disappointed knowing that you came in when she wasn't here then actually realizing she's really sick."

"Actually realizing?" Kumiko repeated.

"Ah, she has been trying to sneak out of bed. You know Amane; so stubborn." He replied with a grin. "What will you have, the same as usual?"

"I don't know why you ask, I always get the same thing!" she said with one of her smiles that made a boy stare.

He nodded happily and was off to fetch what she wanted. As she waited for her little meal, she looked out the window and watched the villagers walk around. She recognized all of them.

"I love this little place." She thought, closing her eyes. "I haven't even been here all that long and everything has been perfect."

"Wow." A voice said behind her.

Kumiko looked around and saw a little boy standing behind her looking at her hair.

"It is yellow." He said amazed.

Kumiko laughed and said, "Well, it does not suppose to be that way. My father was Japanese, but my mother was German."

"German, what is that?"

"Germany. It is a country far, far away. Maybe you will go there someday."

"Miki! Now don't bother the young lady!"

The boy looked up at her sheepishly and said, "Sorry."

"You weren't bothering me, don't worry." She said with a smile.

The boy returned a smile and ran back to his mother. Kumiko saw him say something to his mother and pointed at her hair from a distance. Kumiko smiled again to herself and pretended that she didn't notice. She had a feeling her whole heritage just got told.

"Here you go, my lovely lady!" said Toyo when he brought down a plate of tamagoyaki with a mochi at the side, along with a small cup of tea.

"Thank you, Toyo-kun."

"No problem!" and at that he left.

She ate slowly and continued to watch all the people out the window. She lost track of the time as she finished her meal and sipped on her tea. The boy that was fascinated with her hair waved at her a little when he was to leave. She smiled and waved back.

"Your hair really is pretty." His mother said to her and she left.

Kumiko closed her eyes and giggled inwardly.

"Why did I find that so amusing?" she thought to herself.

She left her dues on the table and started to get up to leave. As she reached the door Toyo stopped her.

"Wait a second, honey."

He held out a box and put it in her hands.

"You need to gain some weight anyway." He said rather matter-of-factly.

"Ha, do I now? You won't take this back will you?"

"No, no I will not."

She shook her head at him and said, "Well thanks then."

"Anytime!" Toyo answered back in a singsong voice.

Kumiko exited the little tea shop with the bento in her hands. After walking a little bit, she peeked inside to see what he had made for her. She smiled and shook her head again. It consist of expensive looking beef, fava beans, a few different types of steamed vegetables, rice, bamboo shoots, and a couple of lotus roots. Kumiko gawked at the sight of it all.

"He expects me to eat all of this!" she said in a disbelieving voice, "Maybe I can find somebody to give it to. Or would that be disrespectful? I mean, he did make it just for me…"

Kumiko sighed, closed the bento, and put it under one of her arms. She continued to walk out of town. Smiling at the other villagers and exchanging pleasantries. At last she made it to the end. She waved once at the man who stood guard. He smiled and waved back; a ritual between them.

"It is going to be dark very soon, Kawazoe-Chan. Be careful walking back!" The guard called to her.

"I will, don't worry!" She called back and then thought, "Why does everybody call me 'Kawazoe-Chan'? If anything, call me Kumiko-kun. Better yet! Just call me Kumiko!"

She silently ranted in her mind as she got onto her horse that was tied up at the stake she kept for him.

"Hello, my beautiful Sonne." ('Sun' in German)

She petted his chestnut fur as they walked along the river. No saddle or bridal for this girl.

Lady Sun was starting to set and Lady Moon was taking her place. She looked up at the darkening sky to see it freckled with tiny stars or "The Moon's children" as Kumiko called them. The Sun's children were the clouds, of course. What a strange imagination, huh? Oh, how Kumiko loved the night! Everything is just so much more beautiful. The moon and her children where dancing on the river's water while the wind was tickling the trees. Everything, save for the wind, water, and sound of horse hooves, was silent. She watched the children dance on the water, but was disrupted when a log came into view. The frowned as she stared at it.

"What a strange looking log." She thought.

She pressed her leg to Sonne's side, signaling him to move towards the water. Her stallion came to the waters edge as she leaned over his neck for a closer look. This was the first time in a long time that she wished it was daylight. She furrowed her brow and squeezed her legs to get Sonne moving, so she could follow the log.

"That log kind of looks like a man!" she thought, "Oh, I hope somebody wasn't killed! That would be so sad."

The man-looking log started to drift over to the shore.

"Oh! Isn't it just a lucky day! Well, not for him if that really is a man." She thought with dark humor.

Kumiko brought Sonne to a stop. She got off of him and waited until the figure got closer.

"Oh no! It is a man!" She thought, "Though I hate touching dead bodies. I could at least, bring him onto the shore."

She grimaced as her hands grasped the man's cold arms and pulled. When she did that, the man sucked in a shallow breath. Kumiko gasped and almost let go.

"He's alive!" She said aloud.

She quickly brought him to the shore and pressed her ear to his chest. There was a faint heartbeat.

She clucked towards Sonne and called his name. Of course, he obliged. Kumiko got up and put her arms under the man's and dragged him closer to her stallion.

"He is heavier than he looks!" she thought.

Adrenaline rushed through her muscles and she heaved the man onto Sonne's back. She too, quickly got on.

She kicked her lightly on her stallion's sides and he immediately went into a canter.

"Hurry, my friend." She said to him.

They galloped as quickly as she could with out dropping the man in front of her. Thankful that Sonne had such a smooth gait.

"What would I do without you my fallen angel of a steed?" she thought to him.

Soon they reached the small house. She dismounted and pulled the man down with her, making sure not to drop him too hard. With her arms wrapped around him she dragged him as fast as possible into the house and into her bedroom. She started sweating as she heaved him as gently on the bed then lifted his legs up after him. She wanted to sit down and let out a breath, but instead started to undo the top part of his kimono. There was blood on her where her arms wrapped around him, so she knew where the wounds were.

She cringed at the sight.

"Maybe it isn't as bad as it seems. It could just be because I can't see well right now."

Kumiko dabbed and wiped away the blood. She then got up and ran into another room. She filled a basin full of water and grabbed a few towels to wrap his cut. She also found an ointment to apply when the cut is nearly closed.

"If it closes." She thought, "No, don't think like that. He will live as long as he is with me!"

Determined, she went back into the room with the wounded man and started to clean away the cut.

"Maybe it isn't as deep as I first thought! Sometimes small, but clean, cuts can admit a lot of blood." She said aloud.

Kumiko laughed bitterly and said, "Who am I trying to convince, you or me?"

She stared at the unconscious man for a second and then got back to work. She bounded some smaller rags to the wounds and wrapped the long towels around them tightly so they don't fall.

With her job finished, she sighed and stared at the man. She looked him down for awhile to see if she missed any other wounds and saw something hooked on a strap of his sandal. She narrowed her eyes and reached over to pull them loose. With a little twist to the side she got them in her hand to examine.

"Now how did his glasses get hooked to his sandals?" she thought with a frown, "Ah, oh well. I don't really care. As long as he is safe, I guess."

She made sure that other parts of his body other than his chest were safe once more, before she got up to get her horse something to munch on. She went outside and opened a barrel to his food. The finest of all grains for Sonne, of course. She scooped some of it up and put it in a wide bucket and made her way to the back of the house where he usually spent the night. She placed the bucket on the ground when he came up to her trotting and nickering happily. He bent his neck down and started to eat. She stroked him a couple of times and then left to go back to the man. When she reached the front door she scanned the area she lived in as usual and spotted the forgotten bento on the ground where she dismounted Sonne.

"I can give that to the man when he wakes up and is capable to eat something as solid. I will make him eat soups at first; that will be more suitable for his condition." She thought to herself.

She knelt down to pick up the bento and entered her house. She placed it on the table and went back into the bedroom. She sat down on the ground near the bed and watched the man. He seemed to be breathing. With her back resting on the wall, her eyes started to droop. She fought against sleep at first, but then stopped her pointless struggle and let her conscious fade.

_Author's Note_

This will be the only author's note I make. I don't know why...Anyway, I hope you like my first fanfiction!

**HimmelsDraculina**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoying it so far? I hope so. I put a lot of work into this when I first made it. **

**Chapter 2**

"It's warm! Wasn't I cold not long ago? Why does it feel like I stopped moving? I know I was going down a river and now everything around me feels soft…Did I…die? No, if I was dead, then my chest wouldn't hurt this much!" He let out a gasp of pain and heard a scrambling beside him. He kept his eyes closed tightly, but relaxed a little when he felt a cold cloth being brought across his damp brow. Another spasm of pain went through him. He let his eyes flutter open a bit. Though they were unfocused he could make out an image of a person with long, strange colored, hair leaning over him. Sunshine hair and sky blue eyes were the only things he saw before he pasted out again.

"Well he is alive." Kumiko said when she saw the man's eyes close.

She looked out the window to see Lady Sun peeking out from behind the horizon.

"You are far to happy looking, Sun-san at this time of crisis." She said as she stared out the window.

"Ugh, I really need to get a life! I'm talking to the sun!" she thought to herself.

She looked at the man again and let a breath out slowly. At that she got up and prepared Sonne's morning meal. This time she snatched an apple from a bowl on the table to put on top of the grain. She went to the back of the house again to find him not there. She pursed her lips and let out a pleasant sounding tune. From the forest she heard a soft neigh and the sound of hooves. Sonne came cantering slowly out of the trees to greet her.

"You always come back to me every time you leave." She said as she put the bucket down and stroked her beloved stallion's chestnut coat.

He crunched on the apple and then lifted his head to nudge her shoulder as if saying, 'thank you'.

Kumiko smiled and said, "Your welcome."

At that Sonne bent his head down again to the bucket. With a grin she went back into her house and started her own breakfast. She made a small plate of assorted fruits and berries and made her way back into the bedroom where the man was.

She watched him intently, capturing every slight movement he made. She started nibbling on a cherry when he made a sound. She stared, dropped it back on the plate, and got onto her hands and knees so she can stare down at him. He made another sound and his eyes started to squeeze tightly again. Kumiko bent down closer and stared harder.

"Is he going to wake up?" she accidentally said aloud.

He stirred and his eyes fluttered open as they did before. He shut them and shook his head slightly and opened them again. He stared up at Kumiko and his mouth opened as if he was trying to talk.

"Don't talk. I don't want you getting any tired than you already are. Do you think you could drink some water?" Kumiko said to him.

The man nodded his head slightly and continued to stare at her with half opened eyes.

"Ok, don't move. I'll be right back." And at that she ran to the kitchen.

"Did this girl save me?" the man thought, "Of course she did. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

He watched the entrance to the room as he waited patiently for her to return.

"Was her hair really that color or did I imagine that?"

As soon as he thought that, she returned with a cup of water.

"Alright, I don't want you to sit up just yet, so I'm going to hold your head."

She put her hand behind his head and lifted gently. She brought his lips to the rim of the cup and slowly tilted it, so that the water wouldn't spill and choke him. His eyes did not leave her face as he drank.

"She looks Japanese, but her hair and eyes and facial structure seem so different." He thought with wonder, "What is she?"

She smiled down at him as she drew the cup away from his lips and said, "I'm Kawazoe Kumiko. I found you floating down the river. I have a lot of questions for you and I'm sure you have a lot for me, but I think we should wait until you are in less pain and are more rested for answers."

'I am hurting. I didn't even notice for a while.' The man thought with a cringe.

He watched as she slowly undid her wrappings that he suspected she put on him and revealed a cut.

"I remember." He thought, "I was fighting a group of samurais and I was cut. I fell backwards into the river and they left me for dead."

Anger surged through him and he clutched his fist, but stopped once he felt a throb of pain.

"Whatever you are thinking stop it!" the girl called Kumiko said to him in a firm tone. "You are hurt and I don't need you to get worked up over something."

The man took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He let himself relax as much as he could. To take his mind off of the samurais he watched her work her hands over his wounds. She was trying very hard not to cause him a lot of pain. Once done cleaning the wounds she started to bind them again. He tried to arch his back to help her fit her hands under him to make it easier for her, but was brought down again when the pain lifted.

"You knew better than to do that!" scolded the girl. "I don't want to fix these things up again you know! But if I have to, I guess it won't matter." She added quickly.

He gave her the slightest of smiles. He is sure that she doesn't even notice it.

"Jin." He whispered in the smallest of voices.

"Jin? Is that your name?"

He nodded slowly and fell asleep.

Kumiko smiled and said, "Well Jin, I will have you up and going soon enough!"

She finished the wrapping and went into the kitchen to make some soup for 'Jin' to eat.

"I think he will be fine with just some Miso soup." She thought as she searched through her different foods.

She made a fire and put a pot over it. She added all the firm ingredients into the pot first like the diced potatoes. Kumiko would've added some steamer clams, but she didn't keep those around, because she hated fish or anything from the ocean.

'I hope he doesn't have an immense liking for meat. I don't keep it around that often.' She thought as she cooked.

Once the potatoes began to soften she took the pot from over the fire and added the rest of the ingredients, which included, thinly sliced onions, small bits of green beans, and sliced mushrooms. She mixed it all well and then added different types of spices for some more flavor.

"Hmmm, I might just join him with eating this, since it is almost lunch time anyway." She thought to herself as the smell of the soup finally got to her.

She scooped up some of the soup and put it in a bowl. She stood up and ventured to the room again. She was very surprised to find him awake on the bed, So surprised that she burned herself a little when a couple of drops of the steaming soup hit her.

"Ah! Ok. Well, I wasn't expecting to see you awake." She said as she knelt down to the bed and wiped away the burning soup on her hand. "Are you hungry? Do you think you can down this with out vomiting it back up?"

Jin couldn't help, but give a very, very small laugh, even though it pained him.

"She is such a strange girl." He thought. "The only other girl I know who would say that to me is Fuu!"

"Hey! Don't laugh! You know it's going to hurt!" She scolded as before. "Why are you laughing anyway? It's true! Now answer the question. Can you eat this?"

He gave another small smile and nodded. Jin started to get up slowly.

"Easy now, don't hurt yourself." She said as she helped him.

Now with his back to the wall, he found himself exhausted.

"I barely did anything and I'm tired! This is so embarrassing!" he thought angrily.

"Wow, I didn't think you could even sit up!" she said amazed.

He opened his eyes and stared at her. All shame from being tired leaving.

"Here you go. I'll feed it to you if you can't yourself." She said to him.

Determined to not be so dependable to anyone, Jin rose the bowl to his lips and drank some of the hot soup.

'I haven't had something this good in a very long time.' He thought.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

Jin nodded and gave her a smile this time that she could actually see.

She smiled back and said, "Well, I'm going to get myself some then and I'll top yours off when you are finished. You will probably still be hungry even after this."

Kumiko got up and left to the kitchen with Jin's eyes watching her every movement.

He lifted the bowl again to have some more. He chewed a little on the soft potatoes and green beans. Jin looked around the room that he was in. He failed to notice much of his surroundings because of his fascination with this Kumiko girl. He was surprised to see samurai swords decorating a section of the wall. They were marvelously crafted and were practically in perfect condition.

"Are those her…husband's?" Jin thought.

Kumiko entered the room again with her own bowl of Miso soup and three cups of what was probably tea.

"I didn't know whether or not you wanted tea or water, so I just brought a cup of each." She told him as if reading his mind. "Oh! And have medicine in them."

One of Jin's eyebrows rose as he stared at the two cups near him on the ground.

"Both of them have medicine in them, so there is no way you can escape it." She said as she rose her bowl to her lips.

"Mph." was the only sound he made and he looked away from the cups and drank some more soup.

"You are going to drink one of those cups, you do know that right?" she said to him blandly.

He stared back and finally sighed and nodded.

"Good." She replied to his silent answer.

He made eye contact with her and then shifted his eyes twice to behind her. After the second shift of eyes she turned around to see what he was looking at. Kumiko looked at him again when she heard him give a small grunt. He thrust his chin out towards the swords again.

"You want to know about the swords?" she asked.

Jin nodded.

"Well, they were my father's but he passed away a few years ago."

He regretted bringing it up and gave her a sorry look.

She smiled and said, "It doesn't matter."

Then it hit him!

"Where are my swords?" he thought and he turned his head to look around the room.

"What now?" she said following his gazes.

In a hoarse, but louder whisper than a few hours ago, he asked, "Where are my swords?"

"Your swords?" she repeated, "I didn't bring any back."

A sad look crept over Jin's face when he heard the news.

"I'm not saying that they might not be back where I found you." She said hoping that would cheer him up a little and it did.

His eyes had a bit of hope in them.

"I'll go look for them." Kumiko said with a smile.

She left the room.

"Is she leaving now? She doesn't have to go now! I don't really want her to leave just yet…" Jin thought.

She came back into the room with the pot of soup in one hand and two jars of tea and water. She set them next to his bed (or her bed if you want to get technical).

"I'll be right back. I won't be gone to long I don't think. I'm taking my horse." She said brightly.

"You…don't have to…now…" Jin said. When she left the room he drank one of the cups of tea, forgetting that they had medicine in them and it was starting to make him drowsy.

"I know I don't have to. I want to though." She replied, "I see the medicine is kicking in."

Jin nodded, but didn't want to go to sleep just yet.

"Well, like I said before, I won't be gone to long I don't think. Don't even try and move from that bed, Jin."

He looked up at her. That was the first time heard her use his name. He liked it.

"I'll be back." She repeated. And she left.

Jin heard a whistle come from somewhere and a horse's neigh. He looked out the window to see her and a chestnut colored horse. She mounted him without a saddle or a bridal.

'Is she insane?!' he thought with his eyes wide.

Apparently, she was, because she took off in a full gallop down a small path that ran along side a river.

'Who the hell was this girl?'


	3. Chapter 3

**...I have nothing to say...**

**Chapter 3**

"Oh, man! I forgot to ask what the sword looked like!" Kumiko hit her forehead with the palm of her hand.

She growled to herself and dismounted Sonne. He walked away and found a patch of grass that looked appetizing. She was in the exact spot where she found Jin. She kept her eyes to the ground as she scanned the river bed. She continued to walk up and down the river. Until finally she spotted something caught on a rock, it looked like a sword.

She hopped unto a rock and then to another and another. Even though she was as close as she could get to the sword she couldn't reach it.

"Ah, I hate being short!" she said out loud with a groan. (She wasn't tall; 5'3" at the most).

Kumiko went back to the shore and grabbed a stick.

"Alright sword, you are going to come to me."

Again she reached for it. She growled at the fact that she couldn't get it to hook unto the stick.

"Fluch (damn)!" she yelled in German, "Ich werde Schlag sein er mit dieser Klinge, wenn ich ihn erhalte!"

(I will beat him with this sword when I get it!)

She leaned even farther down.

"Diese Klinge verdammen! Diese Klinge verdammen! **Diese Klinge verdammen!**" she yelled a little louder.

(Damn this sword!)

Finally she got the stick close enough to hook it. She pushed it a little too hard and it came loose and started to move.

"Oh, no!"

Kumiko made a dive for it, but accidentally leaned a little too far forward. With a cry she fell into the cold, cold river.

"Oh mein Gott! Kalt, kalt, kalt!" she yelled as she frantically swam to the waters edge.

(Oh my god! Cold, cold, cold!)

"All this for a person I barely know?!" she thought furiously at herself as she got up shivering from the bank with the sword clutched in her hand, "Wait, didn't he say 'swords' not 'sword'?"

She looked around and started to walk when she stepped on something hard. She looked down and was surprised to see a sword under her feet.

"How did I miss that? I could have used the sword to get the other one from the rock!" she said angrily.

After picking it up, she hurried over to Sonne and mounted him again.

"Let's go, Sonne. I'm freezing and that Jin needs new bandages." She said to her horse while kicking him slightly with her legs.

He picked up a gallop and they rode home.

Jin fidgeted in the bed. He didn't know if he was more worried about his swords or Kumiko. He started to weight what we worried about more to pass the time.

I use my swords to fight all the time and they protect me, but Kumiko is a small young lady who saved my life. He continued to mull over it all when he heard horse hooves falling and then footsteps approaching the door. He saw Kumiko's chestnut horse walk across the view of the window Jin had in the room he was staying in. Then he turned his head when he heard the footsteps closer. He was smiling softly when she entered the room, but the smile disappeared completely at the sight of her.

Kumiko looked rather angry, her clothes were wet and so was her hair. She was pale and was shivering slightly. Then she held up two swords in her hands and said,

"Are these your's?"

Jin nodded tentatively.

"Good." She answered.

"Ok so I didn't beat him with the sword," Kumiko thought to herself, "but I did hit him on the head with a chopstick when I finished making our dinner!"

First she started to make a few mochies when the forgotten bento box came into view. She stared at it.

"Well, I bet the food in that thing might be more nutritional then what I can make. I'll give him a mochi anyway though." She thought.

She walked over to the table and opened the box revealing all the different foods. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and some tea and went to Jin.

"My friend from the tea shop made this for me yesterday. I can't possibly eat it all, but I know you must still be hungry. I noticed that you only ate a single bowl of the Miso soup I made." She said to him.

"Oh, yes. I forgot about eating." Jin said.

'His voice is getting better,' Kumiko thought and said, "Understandable. The thought of your precious swords came into mind and Jin-san made the decision that he couldn't live with out them!" She put the back of her hand on her forehead with a feigned faint.

Jin laughed a little and said, "You don't have to call me 'Jin-san', you know. Jin is fine."

"It would be a pleasure just to call you by your name, since nobody else seems to be capable of doing so…" she said as she thought about the villagers.

"What?" Jin said raising his eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about something that happens a lot." Kumiko answered with a wave of her hand as she set the bento box on his lap and put the chopsticks down.

"What happens a lot?" Jin asked.

"Well, the villagers like to call me Kawazoe-Chan or sometimes Kumiko-Chan and it get's a little annoying, because I always tell them to call me Kumiko." She explained.

"Villagers?"

"There is a village down the road. It is just about a mile or two away."

"Why do you live all the way out here if there is a village near by?"

"I…like to be alone."

Jin stared at her and said with a smile, "I can relate to that."

Kumiko smiled back and said, "Eat; you need to heal up."

He nodded and picked up the chopsticks, but watched all the while as she left the room.

As Kumiko left the room she thought, 'Well, at least he understands me. Or he just thinks he does. I don't care which.'

She then started on her own meal; a sausage with a couple simple mochis on the side.

"Maybe I will bake today." She thought aloud to herself, "I bet Jin wouldn't mind having something sweet."

After finishing her small meal she washed her dishes and went back into Jin's room.

He smiled at her and said, "This is kind of a lot of food. You don't expect me to eat it all do you?" he thought for a second and said, "How could that friend of yours think that someone your size could even finished half of this? I'm a lot bigger than you and I couldn't get through a third."

Kumiko laughed and said, "He said I needed to gain some weight."

Jin started to look her up and down.

"Oh come on!" she yelled, "I don't need your opinion now, samurai!

"Well…you could-

Kumiko cut him off, "No stop, don't talk. I'm not going too!"

"I'm just saying-

"Ahhhhhh! No!"

"But-

"No!"

"All I'm saying is-

"Jin…shut…up." Kumiko said slowly.

Jin gave up and laughed. This time it was a little more powerful and all the more painful.

"Ha ha ha, ow!"

"Du dummer Mann! Are you _trying _to get your wounds to reopen?" (You stupid man)

"If that would give me more time with you, then yes, I am trying to reopen them." He said teasingly.

Kumiko rolled her eyes and said, "Are you done? With the food, I mean."

"Oh, yes, here you go." He said, handing her the box.

"You're talking a lot better now."

"Well of course." He said as if he was offended.

With a grin she took the bento from him and went into the kitchen.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She thought and turned around and said, "Do you like apples?"

"Do I like apples? Uh, sure, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"I'm going to bake something."

"Like what?"

"Let's make it a surprise."

Jin smiled and nodded and at that Kumiko left the room.

'I wonder what she is going to make.' Jin thought.

He thought about the different dessert foods that she could cook with apples.

"And why did she choose apples out of all the fruits? Ah, I'm thinking too much." He thought, "I wish this wound was gone. Then I can find an easier way to entertain myself."

He looked out the window and saw Kumiko's horse. It was just standing there staring at something with its ears pricked forward. After awhile, it seemed to get bored with whatever it was looking at and resumed eating the grass. Kumiko came into view. She stroked the horse a couple of times before she walked over to a tree and looked up. To Jin's surprise she jumped up and grabbed a hold unto one of the branches and hoisted herself up into the tree.

"She isn't exactly lady-like!" he thought to himself and then smiled, "She can jump pretty high. I wonder what she is doing."

Her horse apparently did also, for he too stared up in the tree. After a short while a pair of legs came into view and then her body. She was holding onto the tree with one arm and slowly letting herself down. In the other arm she seemed to be carrying a few round things.

"Don't tell me…are those apples?" Jin thought.

He closed his eyes, shook his head and laughed.

"As long as I'm staying here, I guess I should get used to her strange ways." He said out loud as he watched her disappear from the view of the window and then thought, 'Is this what happens to women when they move away from civilization?'

"Hah, I got the apples." Kumiko said as she made her way into the house, "I sure hope he likes this. I don't think he has ever tried any type of German food."

She started mixed all the ingredients into a bowl and quickly baked her treat.

She smelt the aroma of it and said, "I really need to bake this more often!"

She cut off two pieces of the cake like-sweet she made and made her way to her room.

"Well, I guess it is Jin's room now." She thought to herself.

Jin looked up and watched her as she knelt down to the side of the bed. She handed him a square of the cake and took a small bite out of her own. She seemed pleased with how it turned out.

Jin stared at the hot cake in his hand and said, "…What is this?"

Kumiko laughed and said, "Oops, I forgot to tell you. It is called apple kuchen. It is a German food."

"Oh." Was all he said as he continued to stare at the 'kuchen' as she called it.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's just…I'm not good with foreign foods."

She quirked an eyebrow at him and said, "Why not?"

"I had a bad experience with some food that some Chinese travelers brought with them. They were kind enough to share some with me when I came through the woods, but my stomach wasn't used to the strange ingredients, I guess." Jin said thinking back to that day.

"Well…ok, I doubt that you are going to get terribly sick, but if you don't want to eat it, I won't make you." She said a little disappointed.

Jin watched her face as it fell slightly. He looked down at the steaming square in his hands then looked at her again. She was nibbling a little on the edge of hers and watching her horse graze outside the window.

"What am I doing? I'm a guest! It is impolite to refuse food, especially if they are as hospitable as her!" he chastised himself in his mind.

At that he raised the cake to his mouth and took a small bite out of the end.

Kumiko caught sight of this and said, "Oh, you don't have to Jin! You said you didn't like foreign foods and that is ok!"

Jin stared at the cake he just took a bit out of and thought, 'Whoa that was really good! Great now I feel like an idiot!'

He smiled at her and said, "This is really good! I think I will make an exception on my grudge against foreign foods."

She laughed and said, "Whatever you say."

After awhile she brought him another square and he ate happily.

"When do you think you will let me walk?" he asked.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I'd be stupid if I left this soon with these injuries. I just want to know."

"Maybe a couple more days, we'll see." She answered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Splitting this thing up is actually kind of fun! Ha!**

**Chapter 4**

The couple days she told him about turned out to be almost a week actually. To be safe she didn't let him leave the house, but did let him wander around inside. His wound was closing and she was putting on an ointment that one of the village healers gave her when she cut herself one time on a knife. It was working well! Jin walked around the bedroom and examined her little trinkets that she kept on a dresser and also gazed at the swords she kept on her wall.

"Her father's swords." He thought, "He must've died in combat or something."

He reached up and touched the red lacquered sheath and ran his hands down the smooth carvings on the hilt. Jin turned around to see if Kumiko was near. She wasn't. He gently took the sword off the wall and pulled it out of its sheath. Engraved on the blade was this writing: 'Mein geliebtes.'

"German." Jin thought, "Kumiko's mother must have had this made for her father."

Jin smiled at the sight of it and saw that the carvings on the hilt resembled cherry blossoms. He sheathed the sword again and put it back on the wall.

"Beautiful." He said out loud.

"It is, isn't it?" Kumiko agreed.

Jin turned around and looked at her, 'How did I not sense her presence?' he thought and then said while pointed at the sword with his thumb, "I apologize, I shouldn't have touched it."

She merely smiled and said, "I don't mind, but good choice though. That one is my favorite, because of all the gorgeous designs on it. The blue one beside it was actually my mother's. My father had that one made for her."

She walked over to the wall and brought down the sword. She took off the sheath and pointed to the writings that also engraved that one. 'Ich liebe dich mehr', it said.

"The red one says, 'my beloved' this one says, 'I love you more'. Quite the couple weren't they?" she said to him with a smile.

Jin nodded in agreement and said, "They must have been. What were their names?"

"My father's name was Kawazoe Makoto and my mother's name was Heidi Hoag. Well, Heidi Kawazoe if you want to be traditional."

"Your mother must have been pure German for you to keep this golden hair." He said while taking a lock of it and rubbing it in between his thumb and finger, "You kept her eyes also didn't you?"

Kumiko's sky blue eyes brightened when he said that and answered, "Yes, I did! I'm actually pretty proud of this hair and these eyes. Nobody else has them in Japan!"

Jin laughed and said, "No they don't! I bet you attract a lot of attention."

She cringed and said, "A little. Some of it not so nice though."

"That is what I thought." He said getting lost in her eyes.

With a smile, she put the blue sword back onto the wall with the others.

"I'm going to start making dinner. What would you like to eat?" she asked.

"Whatever is easiest for you to make."

"Well, if I was talking easy, you wouldn't be eating at all."

"That is ok with me."

"Ha, I'm sure it is."

He grinned and followed her back into the kitchen. There was a window over the table and outside again, he saw her horse.

"What do you call your horse?" Jin asked.

"Sonne is his name."

"German?" he asked.

"Yes, it means sun."

"That is suitable. He has a very beautiful coat."

"He knows."

"What?"

"He knows that he is beautiful. That horse is vain!"

Jin laughed and said, "I would be too if I looked like that! He seems different though…from the other horses that I have seen. His head dips inward."

"He is imported from Arabia."

"Where is that?"

"I have no idea."

"How did you get him?"

"My mother found him when he was still a foal. His dam died on the voyage here and the men that brought him didn't think he would survive without his mother and tried to kill him. Needless to say, he ran away and my mother found him half alive in the trees. She brought him home to me and I fed him by soaking a rag in milk and letting him squeeze it out. Believe it or not, it worked."

"How old is he now?"

"He is about two or three."

Jin's eyes widened and he said in shock, "You ride him this young? He is a colt! He could buck you off! You wouldn't be able to grab unto anything if he tried to anyway! Don't look at me like that, I saw you canter off without a saddle or bridal when you went to look for my sword!"

Kumiko just shrugged her shoulders and kept one working.

'How could she not be fearful of this animal?' he thought, 'I might as well drop this conversation. I guarantee she wouldn't listen to me anyway if I do try to convince her that Sonne is dangerous.'

Jin slumped in his chair and watched the horse graze a minuet and then turned to watch Kumiko work around in the kitchen. She was almost done. She put the assorted foods in different dishes and set them on the table.

'It is nice that we can finally eat at the table.' She thought.

Jin looked at the different dishes. There was of course, rice, and other things such as azuki, kyuri, negi, shiitake, and small bowls of zoni soup.

"Will I be aloud outside soon?" he asked in a tone that mimicked a small child.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you are grounded, that's why!"

They both shared a laugh and then Jin seriously said, "Really, when will I be able to go outside?"

"I'll check your cuts later and we'll see."

Jin nodded and enjoyed the meal that she cooked. It was delicious as usual. After dinner they had some more of her kuchen dessert.

"I'm going to have an affinity for German foods if I keep eating this." He said with a sigh.

"That means I'm one step closer to converting you to Germanism!"

Jin grinned and said, "Germanism, huh?"

"Yeah, it is where Japanese people take on German ways." She said nodding, "they also die their hair blonde."

"I'll pass on that."

"Oh…I was so close on converting you too."

They laughed again and started to put away the dishes.

'I'm going to start getting to used to her company. Then it will be harder to leave when I have to." Jin thought, "That's right, I'm going to have to leave someday.'

"Jin? Are you ok?" Kumiko asked with a concerned look.

"Huh? Oh, yes! I'm fine!" he said with an obviously fake smile.

She watched him for awhile and then said, "I'm going to go give Sonne his food."

"Alright."

"You go ahead and go to bed, if you'd like."

Jin nodded and said his thanks. He was almost at the doorway when he realized something.

"Kumiko, where have you been sleeping if I'm in your bed?" he asked.

She let out a nervous laugh and said, "Does it matter much?"

Jin narrowed his eyes and said, "Yes, actually it does matter much."

"Well…On the floor of course. Where else would I sleep? Alright, got to go feed Sonne! Be back in awhile!" she said quickly and went outside.

"That girl!" he thought angrily, "I know that she is using all her blankets on me now! She has to be cold at night!"

Jin opened his eyes and looked around. The room was dark. He removed two of the blankets that were on him and got up from the bed. A chill pasted through him as he walked quietly as possible to the kitchen where he saw little Kumiko lying on the ground, sound asleep. He took small gradual steps towards her, careful not to bump something or drag the blankets and making sounds. One more step and he stood over her. He knelt down to his haunches and as silently and gently as he could he draped the two blankets over her. He watched her sleep for awhile and then slowly got up and headed towards his bed again. He looked back at her one last time before he entered his room and slid into the blankets he still had.

Kumiko lied perfectly still. She was a rather marvelous little actress. She was awake when she heard Jin tip toe into the room. She closed her eyes and feigned sleep. She heard him get closer and closer, sometimes stopping to make sure she was still asleep. She wanted to smile, but she told herself not to. It was even harder not to, when she felt something cover her.

"A blanket probably." She thought to herself.

Though the blanket was on, she still sensed his presence looming over her. She didn't like it when people stood over her. A price she had to pay for being born short. As if reading her thoughts she heard Jin get up silently and slowly tip toe back into his room. She knew better then to open her eyes when the soft padding of his feet ceased, for right when they stopped they continued again.

"One last look." She thought, but this time she smiled.

And at that she fell into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is probably the longest chapter that will be. I'm not sure yet. We'll see won't we?**

**Chapter 5**

Jin lied in his bed trying to grasp the dream he just had. It was a good one. He, Mugen, Fuu, and Kumiko were all traveling together. Like one big family. There were other parts that he could barely remember. He had the urge to fall asleep again, hoping he would fall back into the dream he was just having.

"Hey, Jin! Breakfast is going to be ready soon. Are you awake?" He heard Kumiko call from the other room.

'Damn it.' He thought, 'Well she is just as good as the dream, but I hope Fuu and Mugen are alright.'

He saw Kumiko's face peek from behind the wall.

"I'm awake." Jin said to her, "I'll be out in a second."

"Alright, I'll be waiting."

"You don't have to."

"I know." And then she retreated from behind the wall.

Jin smiled and sighed. He stretched and got up from the bed and headed towards the kitchen.

"Good morning." She said to him.

"Good morning." He replied.

A plate of tororo and some oniguries waited for him, along with a tangerine to have afterwards.

Jin took a bite and said, "Simply delicious."

"That is what you always say. Are you just giving me compliments or something?" she replied with suspicion.

"Of course I am. And I don't have any other words to describe this." He said pointing to the dish in front of him.

"How about…delectable or…savory?" she said with a grin.

Jin shrugged, "Ok. Simply delectable. And also very savory. How is that?"

"That sounded dumb."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know it just did."

"Then what shall I call it then?"

"Let's not call it anything. Just eat!"

"How about-

"No."

"But-

"We are not starting this again!"

Jin grinned and said, "Well, what do you plan on doing today?"

"I'm going to go to the village to get some more supplies." She answered absent-mindedly.

"Can I go with you?"

Kumiko looked at him and then down to his chest were his wounds were.

"I don't feel as much pain today, practically none actually. Your ointment helped a lot." He said to her hoping that he could go.

"I'll look at it first, then I will decide to let you go or not."

Jin nodded and started to undo his shirt.

"Easy! You don't have to show me now!"

"Ok." And he started eating again.

After breakfast they washed the dishes as they normally did and immediately after, Jin started to undo his shirt again.

"Jin." Kumiko said with a sigh.

"What?"

"Nothing, go ahead." She said with a wave of her hand and then thought, 'He really wants to go with me.'

Jin set his shirt on the counter and went for the bandages, but was cut off by a throb of pain when he tried to reach to far upwards.

"I'll get that." She said to him.

She carefully undid the bandages and let the wounds show. Jin sat down in one of the chairs and let her work her magic. He watched as she checked over the cuts that were closing well and without infection. She went to one of the cabinets and pulled out the jar with a different ointment in it. She scooped some of the medicines in her fingers and gently rubbed it on his wounds. It stung a little, but Jin had a feeling that it was a good sign and didn't object.

"I think you will be fine. You can come to town with me." She said while she rewrapped him.

"Thank you." He said to her.

Whether the 'thank you' was for the healing of wounds or the fact she let him come with her, she didn't know.

With a sly smile she looked at him, "How good are you at horseback riding?"

Jin clutched onto Kumiko's waist for dear life. They were galloping at full speed with, of course, no saddle or bridal on a 2 or 3 year old stallion!

'She is insane!" he kept repeating in his mind, 'I must be also…I got on the damn thing. Sonne you better not even think about bucking!'

Kumiko turned her head around to look at his face. By the way he was clutching unto her it was rather obvious that he didn't trust this horse.

"Kumiko? Can we slow down a bit? I am feeling a little bit emasculated by the fact that I'm in the back holding onto you when usually it's the girl who is holding onto the boy!" Jin yelled over the thudding of horse hooves.

"How old are you anyway?"

He stared at her in disbelief. There is no way she is trying to start a conversation while riding a stallion without a-you know.

"Are you serious?" He asked.

When she didn't answer, he knew she was.

"Well, I'm-I'm 20." He said after a hesitation, "What about you?"

"I'm 17."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, you don't exactly look it. You kind of look 15 or 16."

"I'm taking that as a compliment."

Jin laughed and they rode in silence until the village came into view.

"That is a small village." Jin commented.

"Yes, that is one of the reasons why I love it so much." She commented back as she cooed to Sonne to come down to a trot and then a smooth walk.

Jin couldn't help but be impressed at how well she rode the horse.

"How long have you lived near here?" he asked.

"Uh, just about 2 years, but I lived by myself for 1 year."

"That is it? I would have thought you lived alone for a long time."

She shook her head with a smile and said, "First we'll buy the things I need and then we will go visit my friends at the Ruri Teashop."

"It would be an honor to meet Kawazoe-Chan's friends." He said with a bow knowing that the 'Chan' and the use of her last name would set her off a little. He was right.

"Alright, Sir Suave, hurry up, let's go." She said.

He smiled lightly and followed Kumiko into the village.

All eyes were on Jin when they reached the section of the village where most of the people spent there time. Nobody has seen Kawazoe Kumiko with a man that wasn't from their village. Actually, nobody has every saw Kawazoe Kumiko with a man. Though they pretended that they busied themselves with other things worth their while, continuously people would shift their eyes and stare at Jin.

'Ok…It is a little obvious that Kumiko doesn't really get to know many men, by the looks of these villagers.' He thought.

Jin kept his face hard and acted as if he didn't care about the stares, but truthfully, it was making him uncomfortable.

"Let's start the shopping." Kumiko said to him cheerfully.

She took him to the different venders and introduced him to practically everybody. He couldn't grasp all the names, but caught a few.

"Jin, this is Tsubaki. Tsubaki meet Jin!" Kumiko said with a smile.

With a bow he said, "It is a pleasure to meet you Tsubaki-Chan."

The girl named Tsubaki giggled and said, "Nice to meet you too! Now where did you find this gentleman Kumiko?"

"On the ground."

Tsubaki laughed and said, "I wished they were all that easy to find! It was nice meeting you, but I have to get back to my costumers."

Jin nodded to her and then looked at Kumiko with a stare.

"So you found me on the ground, huh?"

"Well, technically in a river…" she answered.

Jin sniffed and looked away as if his pride was taking hold of him. Kumiko let out a cute laugh and said, "You still need to meet the people of the Teahouse!"

And at that, she walked toward a pale green colored house with dark green curtains for the entrance. On top of the little house was a sign that said "Ruri Teahouse." He smiled at the little place and followed suite with Kumiko.

"Kumiko!" a feminine voice said loudly.

"Amane! I'm glad to see you up and well!" Kumiko said while embracing the other women.

"Oh, yes, I'm all better now! How have you-

She cut off her words at the sight of Jin.

"Who is your…friend?" she asked.

"Well, hello my Lady Kumiko! I'm glad to see-

A man who just walked in caught sight of Kumiko, but cut off his words as the woman called Amane did when he saw Jin.

At first he was at a lost for words then he said, "I haven't seen you around here. Kumiko, is this a friend from far away?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I didn't give introductions! Jin, this Amane and her husband Toyo. Amane and Toyo, this is Jin." She said with a huge smile.

'She's obviously enjoying everybody's reactions toward me…I'm not.' Jin thought to himself.

"Well it is nice to meet you Jin-san." Said Amane and Toyo, with a bow.

"Just Jin, please." He replied.

The both grinned and said, "You are like Kumiko, so modest! Of course, we should call you 'san' for you are a samurai."

They pointed at his swords and smiled again.

'Well that could be another reason why people were staring at me.' Jin thought, 'They probably never had seen a samurai in their village before.'

Jin gave them a smile and said, "Even so, you don't need to call me 'san'"

"Ok, whatever you'd like. Now sit, sit! Tell me what you want. I already know what she wants." said Toyo while gesturing at Kumiko.

"You do?" Jin asked.

"Yes, she orders the same thing every time she comes here."

"Well, then I guess I will have the same thing as her. It must be good if she orders it that much!"

At that Amane jumped into the conversation, "Yes, it is very good, but you might want to order something else with it. She doesn't eat very much, so there isn't much on the plate."

"Ok, then, what did she order in the past."

"She wanted the usual except without the side she always ordered, she used to have our abura-age, but I guess she got bored of it."

"Ah, yes, I remember when she used to order that." Amane said.

"Will all of you stop talking like I'm not here?!" said an aggravated Kumiko.

"I'll take that." said Jin with a grin.

"Alright then, both of your plates will be up in a while!" Toyo said and then left with Amane.

Kumiko glared at the grinning Jin and said, "I'm right here, in case you have forgotten me."

"Yes, yes, of course. It is just you are always teasing me, I thought maybe you can take it also, but I guess not." He said with a sigh.

"Oh, I can dish it and take it, don't worry!" she said defensively.

"Mmhmm, sure." He said as if he was distracted.

Kumiko shook her head and said, "Now what has gotten into you today? You are usually so quiet."

"Am I being bad?" He asked.

"Yes, you are."

"Whatever will you do with me?"

"I haven't decided…Maybe I'll have Sonne drag you home."

"I bet he will." Jin mumbled.

They sat in silence for a while. It was a comfortable silence. Jin liked the fact that he can just sit with her. You don't find that too often.

"What did I just order anyway?" Jin wondered after awhile.

Kumiko laughed and said, "You ordered tamagoyaki with a mochi on the side."

"They were right, you don't really eat that much."

"I don't need too."

"You need to stay alive!"

"Well obviously I'm doing something right, I'm here!"

It was now Jin's turn to shake his head and laugh.

"Order up my friends!" said Toyo with two plates on a tray.

"Thank you." said both Kumiko and Jin.

"No problem." he replied with a smile.

And at that he left them alone.

"Wow this does look great." Jin commented.

"Yes, they are the best in the village."

"I can see that." he said after taking a bite out of the tamagoyaki.

Kumiko told Jin about some of the villagers and about the different places.

"It's not much, but I love it here."

"I don't blame you. Everybody seems so kind."

"Well if you don't count the stares you were getting, yes they are."

"Oh, so you _did_ notice!" Jin stated.

"Yes, I did. I thought it was funny."

"No, it wasn't funny! You would have thought I was wearing some weird clothing or…looked like you!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

Jin gave her an are-you-kidding-me look and replied, "Your blonde hair and blue eyes stick out like you wouldn't believe. If you were walking around in some town other than this, people wouldn't just be staring. They would be gawking!"

"Oh, I would be flattered." she said covering her face as though she was embarrassed.

"You're so vain I bet you would be."

"I'm not vain!"

They both laughed and continued their meal, while enjoying the silence that they could have.

After their food was done, Toyo came and took away the dishes. Amane also came out and handed both Kumiko and Jin a bento.

"Amane." she said while closing her eyes, "you are a women version of Toyo."

"Is that an insult or a compliment? Oh, and I almost forgot! I need to tell you something, come with me to the kitchen and I'll tell you."

Kumiko looked surprised and said, "Oh, alright. Do you mind waiting for a little longer Jin?"

"I never would mind." he replied.

"What a gentleman." came Toyo's voice from behind him, "I'll keep you company while those two talk."

Jin smiled and nodded.

'I want to learn more about Kumiko anyway.'

Kumiko followed Amane into the kitchen and set the bento box on the table.

'I might pretend that I forgot it, so they can serve it another customer that actually needs it.' she thought deviously.

Amane turned and looked at Kumiko with a concerned stare, "Kumiko, just who is this Jin man?"

"Oh, that is what was so important?" Kumiko said with a bored voice.

Amane's stare hardened, "You know that everybody in this village worries about you living alone and then a man that nobody knows shows up. We know that he is some traveler that you let take refuge in your house. And _you_ should know how dangerous that is!"

"Amane, the man is safe. And he isn't some traveler. I found him hurt and I healed him. You can go look at his chest now, I bet he will let you. Since I now know that Toyo is probably drilling him real good." said Kumiko while trying to peek behind the wall to check on Jin.

Amane's face changed, "He was wounded?! And you didn't bring him to town!"

"Well, I didn't know how much time he had!" exclaimed Kumiko.

"Samurai fight I'm sure." Amane said with a shake of the head, "Sorry, about the rant, but I worry about you and I don't know this man."

"'This man' has a name."

"Sorry again, I mean, I don't know Jin. You better rescue him from Toyo if you don't want a dead samurai."

A vixen grin came across Kumiko's face, "Want to watch for a second and then make a rescue?"

Amane sighed and said, "Why do you make me do these things Kumiko?"

"Because I'm terrible like that."

Toyo sat down as he watched the ladies make their way to the kitchen.

"So Kumiko said your name was Jin, right?" he asked with a fake twinkle in his eye.

Jin sat down across from him, "Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Toyo nodded, "And I guessed correctly when I said you were a samurai?"

"Yes you did."

Toyo nodded again, "Just how did you meet our little Kumiko?"

"Uh, well, she kind of found me and she brought me to her house. She is very kind." Jin answered.

"Yes, she is. Too kind actually." said Toyo indifferently.

'Well, I see where this is going.' Jin thought.

Toyo was shooting daggers out of his once twinkling eyes, "Why couldn't you come to the village, instead of Kumiko's house?"

"I was hurt and..." Jin didn't finish.

"Don't think you can try anything on Kumiko. We love her too much to see her hurt!"

"Uh, sir-

"If you even think about touching her there'll be a mob coming after you!"

"Sir-

Toyo cut him off again, "I will pounce on you like a tiger on a goat, if you go near her!"

Jin opened his mouth, but-

"If you don't think I don't know that house of hers only has one bedroom, think again! Don't go near her bed! Don't even look at the doorway!"

Annoyed with the man, Jin mumbled, "Hmph, I been in her bed."

"WHAT?!"

"Whoa, whoa, that isn't what I mean!" Jin explained quickly, "I've just been sleeping in it!" Jin kicked himself for saying that.

Toyo looked like he really was going to pounce on him, "You've been sleeping in Kawazoe-Chan's bed?!" he practically yelled.

"Hold up-

"That is it! You are moving out of that house today!"

"She hasn't been in the bed! And that is not your decision to make."

Toyo was seething now, "What are you doing? Trying to take over her home? Where is she sleeping if she isn't in the bed?"

Jin hesitated, "She has been sleeping…in the…kitchen."

"Kawazoe-Chan is too good to sleep on the floor! She is not a servant!"

"He has been sleeping in your bed, Kumiko?" Amane whispered loudly.

"Yes, but I haven't been sleeping with him! That is all that matters, right?" Kumiko answered with a sheepish look.

"No that isn't all that matters!" countered Amane.

Kumiko shushed her and started to listen to the boy's conversation again.

"Sir, I didn't want her to sleep on the floor, actually I would prefer it if she slept on the bed!" Jin said trying to calm the other man down.

"I bet you would!"

"No, no, no! That isn't what I mean! I mean, I'll sleep on the floor if I have too!"

"Sure that is what you say now!"

"Really!"

They both were not sitting anymore and both were now imagining pushing the other one off a cliff.

"I think 'operation: rescue Jin' needs to unfold." Amane said nervously when she saw both the men get up.

"Yeah, before they try to kill each other with something else other than staring." Kumiko agreed.

Both the ladies got up and put fake smiles on their faces as they walked into the room.

"Hello, boys!" they said in unison.

Jin and Toyo both grinned mechanically.

"Are you ready to go Jin?" Kumiko asked.

"Very ready…I'm getting tired." he said as he looked at Toyo, who was still leering at him.

"It was nice seeing you both!" Kumiko said to Toyo and Amane.

This time they smiled true smiles and nodded.

"Come back…soon." Toyo said as he directed his glare to Jin again.

Kumiko grinned, "We will."

'She said 'we'" Jin thought. It was hard to repress the joy that wanted to reach his face, 'but I can't forget about Fuu and Mugen.'

Jin was brought out of his trance when Kumiko's hand caught his and guided him out of the teashop.

As they were walking back through the village with the packages of supplies they bought Kumiko said, "Well that was extremely entertaining."

"Yes." was all that Jin could say.

"Especially, the talk that you and Toyo shared." she said with a small giggle.

Jin closed his eyes and sighed, "So you heard all of that?"

"Could I not have?"

"Were we really that loud?"

"No, but I was only in the next room."

"True. Sorry."

"Actually Jin, I think Toyo needs to apologize. I'm sure Amane is digging him right now, so no worries."

Jin smiled, "So did you tell Amane what happened?"

"For the most part, I just told her I found you and healed your wounds. That's it."

"Oh, why did you only tell her that? Why not the whole story?"

"Because we were too enthralled by the lively conversation that you and Toyo had to continue ours."

"Yeah, I shouldn't have gotten annoyed like I did." Jin said with a laugh.

"Are you kidding me? I would have punched him in the face if he was talking to me like that. You have a lot of patience."

At that Jin had a big laugh.

"Are you laughing at me or the thought of me punching someone in the face?"

"Both! I'm trying to imagine you, a barely five foot tall 17 year old girl, punching a grown man in a face!"

"Hey, I'm 5 foot 3! Not 4 foot 3!"

"I know, I know, I couldn't resist making fun of your height though."

"Nobody can…" Kumiko grumbled as they reached Sonne.

They put down the packages and started to go through them to make sure they had everything. Kumiko opened one of the bags and groaned.

"I swear I left this damn thing on the kitchen counter!" she said while lifting up the bento box, "That woman! She is sneakier than I imagined. Did you even see her do it?"

Jin was staring at the second box in that bag, "I didn't even see her take the one that she gave me off the table."

They blinked at each other for a minuet then shrugged, "At least you don't have to cook dinner now." Jin said, "But dessert is a different story."

Kumiko giggled, "I see you have taken a liking to my little German baking."

"Are you still trying to Germanize me?" Jin asked.

Kumiko looked at him and then remembered with a grin, "Yes, yes, I am."

"Then no, I haven't taken a liking too it. It just tastes…I'm not saying I like it."

They both laughed and slung the bags over Sonne's back and hopped on.

"Still nervous about Sonne?" asked Kumiko.

"Of course…and you should be, too!" he exclaimed as he started clutching her waist again as Sonne took off galloping.


	6. Chapter 6

**-whistles happily-**

**Chapter 6**

Kumiko sighed and said as they walked up to the house with the bags, "We're home."

'She said 'we' again.' Jin thought, but this time he let all the joy from the first time he heard it surface to his face.

"Why are you smiling like that?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? How could it be 'nothing'?"

"Ah, just thinking about you punching somebody again."

Kumiko clucked her tongue and said, "Get over that will ya? You kept giggling in my ear the whole way home!"

The rest of the day Kumiko showed Jin the different places that were near her house. The river, the garden she made, and the different trees that grew around. She also told him about how she came to live here, and all her ideas she had for the future. She even told him how Sonne came and went as he pleases instead of being locked up in a pen all day. Jin listened; he listened to everything she said. He found it fascinating that she lived here alone and actually survived. He also thought it was interesting that her horse didn't have a pen.

'How strange,' he thought to himself.

In turn, Jin told her a little about his past, not much, but some. He told in more detail about Fuu and Mugen. He told her how Fuu was a fantastic gambler and that she could probably stomach a feast. Kumiko laughed when she heard this. He told her how Fuu was searching for a samurai that smelt of sunflowers and how they have journeyed together to find him.

"She hasn't told us much about this samurai, but we will find him, I'm sure of it." Jin said to Kumiko.

Then he told her about Mugen, the rough and bull-headed criminal. He told her how they first met and how compelled Mugen was to kill him. He told her how different they were, but how close they have become.

"We may not really like each other, but I think we understand each other. Fuu and Mugen have sort of become my family. I want you to meet them" He said to Kumiko.

"I would love to meet them." she said with a smile.

"I know they may sound strange, but they really are nice people…I think."

Kumiko laughed when she heard this, "You have strange friends, but they sound fun!"

"Yeah, Fuu and Mugen were kind of my first _true_ friends."

"Everybody needs one."

Jin nodded and stared up at the stars.

'It is amazing how easily I can talk to her. I didn't realize we talked this long though.' he thought.

They were both lying on the grass staring up at the sky.

"Um, Kumiko?"

"Yes."

Jin hesitated and then said, "I'm going to have to return to them, you know that right?"

Sadness crept across Kumiko's face, "Yes, I know. I was wondering when you would bring this up…"

The beautiful silence suddenly grew uncomfortable.

"When do you plan on leaving?" Kumiko asked.

"When you say I can leave." Jin answered.

"You can leave whenever you want. Your wounds are practically healed."

'The thing is…I don't really want to leave you Kumiko…' Jin wished he could say that out loud, but he couldn't just abandon Fuu and Mugen.

"If you have to leave…I wish that you would just leave." Kumiko said. Her voice was thick was sadness.

Though what she just said sounded cold, Jin knew what she meant.

"But can you promise me one thing?"

"Whatever you want."

"Could you just…come back to me?"

Jin turned his head to stare at her.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to. Just come back to visit me one last time."

Jin nodded and said, "I would be a heartless fool if I didn't come back to see my savior."

Tears were welling up in Kumiko's eyes, "When will you leave?"

"I think I should leave tomorrow. I want to get the good byes over with. I hate good byes."

"Me too."

"Do you know where you are going to go?" Kumiko asked in the morning.

"Yes, before I got injured, my friends and I were heading towards a town to the east."

"…I will take you as far as I can on Sonne." she said to him.

"You don't have to do that Kumiko." Jin said with a shake of the head.

"I know, but you would be an idiot not to take me up on the offer. Think of the energy you will save."

"Thank you." Jin replied and then thought, 'What else could I have said?'

A sad smile came across Kumiko's face as she handed him a bag, "There is some food and some…money in it."

"Kumiko, I don't need any of your money." He said this firmly and started to dig in the bag to give it back to her.

"Just keep it Jin. It could be helpful for you are your friends while you are one the road." At that she got one Sonne and beckoned for him to do the same. He complied.

They cantered at a gentle pace for a good amount of time and then came to a walk. Jin thought that she was going to stop to let him off, but she didn't. They kept walking.

"I don't want you to get too far away from your home." Jin said to her as he looked back. They were _really _far away.

"What is the point of saying that now?"

"I don't know."

Kumiko smiled.

They picked up the canter again once Sonne was rested. They were cantering too long in Jin's opinion.

"What are you doing?" he asked Kumiko, "your horse will get sick if you push him too hard."

"I'm letting him canter alone. I'm letting him canter until he decides he wants to stop. Wherever he stops you will continue on foot." She replied.

They continued for even longer than what Jin thought was the horse's maximum distance.

'These horses from Arabia are pretty amazing.' He thought to himself.

Finally after a long trip Sonne was slowing down, first to a trot where he continued for another long while then to a walk, where he _still_ continued.

"Is he doing this on purpose or something?" he asked Kumiko.

"Probably. I swear this horse can understand exactly what we say."

It was nighttime again before the horse stopped. And that is exactly what he did. He just stopped.

"Sonne says it's time to go Jin." she said her voice full of sadness like the night before.

Both Jin and Kumiko got off Sonne's back, who walked off to a creek nearby to treat himself to water.

"So it is finally goodbye." she said to Jin.

Jin nodded and stared at her.

'What can I say?' he thought.

Kumiko nodded back and looked down to the ground. Jin watched her and then quickly lifted her chin and kissed her. Just one soft, but affectionate kiss was all he could give her. He heard horse hooves coming and obviously so did Kumiko, for she pulled back from the kiss and walked towards Sonne. She mounted him quickly and galloped off, not the smooth canter that he experienced with her, but a full gallop. Jin could swear later he could see the tears flying off her face at the speed she went on. She looked back only once before she disappeared in the clearing.

A single tear went down Jin's face, 'I'll come back. Believe me Kumiko; I will come back to you.'

He wiped the tear away from his face and started walking. He was surprised at the distance that Sonne had taken him. He didn't have that long of a walk left.

'How could I have a long walk left? The horse cantered all day long.' he thought.

"Well, Sonne, It is just you and me once again." Kumiko said to the horse, "Do you really think he will come back to visit?"

The horse nickered.

Kumiko smiled and said, "I do, too."

Sonne walked slowly. It was a mile before he stopped.

"I guess we can pitch camp," Kumiko said and then smiled, "Let's camp out for a few days. I haven't done this in a long time."

For an answer Sonne stretched his back leg out and then stretched his front legs by leaning his body downwards so it gave him a bowing appearance.

"That is a good enough answer for me." Kumiko said and for the nights she did sleep out in the woods, she dreamed of only Jin.


	7. Chapter 7

**O.o ...What?**

**Chapter 7**

Jin entered the town that he, Mugen, and Fuu agreed to come to in search for the samurai that smelled of sunflowers, hoping to see them somewhere. He weaved his way through the crowd and craned his neck every direction. He searched all morning and into the afternoon before he sat on a crate near a shop and sighed.

'Did they skip out on the town?' he asked himself.

He continued to ponder about all the different places they could have gone when he heard a pair of voices one feminine and another masculine; the voices were bickering with each other.

Jin shook his head and thought to himself, 'You are imagining their voices, because you miss them.' Jin rolled his eyes, 'I can't believe that I actually miss them…'

"You are such a jackass!" the feminine voice said loudly.

"Oh, shut up you little brat!" the masculine one said even louder.

Jin shook his head again and looked to where the voices were coming from. His jaw dropped a little. It was Mugen and Fuu. He got up and quickly made his way towards him.

"You scare people when you take your sword out in public! Stop it!" the feminine voice continued.

"I know, look at them back away. Why are you not backing away, huh?"

"Because I don't have too!"

"Lame comeback! Now where did that man go? I'm going to rip him apart for stealing the money I made."

"Mugen? Fuu?" Jin asked. He knew he didn't have to, but what else could he say?

Both of the figures turned around and let their faces and eyes widen with shock.

"JIN!" cried Fuu and she launched her self into a hug.

"So you survived the cut _and_ the fall, four-eyes?" Mugen asked.

Jin glared a little and replied, "Of course I survived. I still have to kill you."

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE?!" Mugen yelled and pulled out his blade.

"Oh, not now you two, let's go get some sake and celebrate!" said Fuu who was still clinging to Jin's chest.

"Sounds good to me." said Jin and started walking. (Fuu kept her arms around him the whole time)

"Ah, fine." said Mugen putting his blade back in the sheath, "I could use some sake. I need to get good and drunk now that fish-face is back."

"Oh, admit it Mugen! You missed him!" Fuu teased.

"No I didn't!"

"You are in denial, Mugen." Jin said reverting back into his cold attitude.

"I missed you Jin!" exclaimed Fuu, hugging him harder.

"I missed you also."

"Eck, all this lovey crap is disgusting!" Mugen said moving away from the two of them.

The smallest of smiles appeared on Jin's face, 'I missed you also Mugen.' Jin's face hardened again, 'But I will never admit it.'

"So where did you end up, Jin? You know, after you fell and all." Mugen asked while they entered the bar.

"Yeah, I'm kind of curious also." Fuu said, finally unlatching herself from Jin.

Jin thought about making up a lie and not telling them about Kumiko but- "It is a long story, so we'll order a lot of sake." And he pulled out the bag of money that Kumiko gave him.

"Whoa!" Mugen exclaimed.

Jin ordered as he said, a lot of sake, but saved some money for the journey ahead.

"Alright, now the story." both Mugen and Fuu said as they leaned in a little.

"Where to begin…"

It has been a couple months since they found the sunflower samurai. And it has been a week since Jin, Mugen and, Fuu were traveling again.

"I still can't believe we ran into each other in that town." said Fuu in amazement.

Mugen nodded and asked, "Where are we going anyway?"

Jin smiled thinking back to when they found each other, 'Jin walked into a teahouse at a random town. He was going back to her, just like he promised, when he heard a familiar voice to tell him to sit where ever he wanted. He turned around to see a distracted Fuu putting teacups in front of a couple guest. She didn't look up to see who came in. Another person walked in, but the footsteps stopped abruptly which made Jin turn to see who it was. Jin stared at the wide-eyed Mugen who was darting his gaze from Fuu back to him. Fuu looked up this time and was about to tell the new person to sit where ever he liked, but cut off at the sight of them both. The three of them just stared at each other for a long while then Fuu said, "Want me to get some tea and something to eat, so we can catch up on things?" Jin was surprised that Mugen smiled and said yes. Jin nodded also. After talking and drinking. They got up and started walking aimlessly. They found themselves at the town exit and kept going. It was like they were traveling again.'

"Fuu, should you have told that teashop you were leaving?" Mugen asked.

Jin rolled his eyes and thought, 'He asks her this now, but it has been a week since she was working there.'

Fuu shook her head and said, "I was only staying there for a couple days anyway. In turn of a free stay, I had to work."

"Why didn't you just get a house there? You aren't traveling without us are you?" asked Mugen.

"Yes, actually I was."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't know where you guys were!"

"You shouldn't travel without us!"

"Hello! We have been separated for a couple of months!"

"I know but-

"What?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter."

Jin looked at Mugen and thought, 'You just _now_ realize your feelings for Fuu?"

"You won't tell me?"

"No."

Fuu paused for awhile and then said (to Jin's surprise) "Fine, if that is what you want."

'Look who matured without our knowing.' He thought.

Mugen stared at her for a moment and the nodded. After awhile he repeated his earlier question, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know." Fuu said with a smile.

"I know. I have a place that I want to show you both." said Jin.

Mugen looked at him and said, "What type of place?"

"It is just a village, but there is someone in it that I want you both to meet." Jin answered.

"Kawazoe Kumiko?" asked Fuu.

Jin looked at her in wonder.

"Oh, yeah! You said that girl lived in a village didn't you? Are we really going there?" Mugen asked.

"I can't believe you guys remember that story." Jin said quietly.

Mugen rose an eyebrow, "Of course, we do. Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know, maybe it more interesting then I thought."

"Yeah, it was! I can't wait to meet her!" said Fuu hopping a little in her walk.

Mugen nodded and said, "Whoever can make you pull the stick out of your ass is worth my while."

Jin smiled, Fuu giggled, and Mugen grinned.

"The village is not far off from here." Jin said, "We will be there maybe by this evening or tomorrow morning."

"Oh, I hope this evening! I really want to meet her!" she said happily and picked up her pace a little bit.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The villagers turned to look at them as they entered.

"Do they not take visitors very well?" she asked Jin.

"Not really." he answered.

He took the lead and guided them through the crowds.

'Everything is the same…' he thought and smiled.

Mugen and Jin commented on how they didn't think that this girl Jin was talking about lived in a place like this.

"What do you mean?" Jin asked.

"Well, you made her sound like a very rich person." Mugen said.

"She is." he answered.

Fuu looked around and said, "I don't see any expensive houses."

"She doesn't live in an expensive house. Did you forget that part of my tale?" he asked.

Both Fuu and Mugen started thinking hard.

"Wait, didn't you say she didn't live _in_ the village?" Fuu asked.

"Yes, that is right."

"Oh, yeah, now I remember that. You also said that her house is covered in flowers and a stallion is always prancing around it. That is why I didn't think any of these houses were hers." Mugen said looking around.

Jin smiled and they continued there walk.

"Jin?" said a voice behind him. It was Toyo.

He turned around and looked at him. Toyo's face was filled with shock.

"I didn't think you would come back!" He said.

"I keep my promises." Jin said dryly. He still remembered there last meeting.

By the tone of Jin's voice, Toyo knew what his problem was.

"She's home." Toyo said to him with a smile.

They stared at each other and nodded; an unspoken agreement. At that Jin turned around and walked away, with Fuu and Mugen following.

"Was that that Toyo guy you said was such a jerk?" Fuu asked in a whisper.

"Well I didn't say jerk, but yes." Jin answered, 'He was a jerk.'

"How far is her house from here?" Mugen asked when they reached the end of the village.

Jin stared at the spot where he and Kumiko got on Sonne and said with a smile, "Just a mile or two."

Mugen nodded and they walked in silence, until the road got closer to the river.

"Where did she find you?" asked Fuu.

Jin looked at them both and said, "You both remember a lot of this story."

"Yeah, so?" said Mugen as he put his arms behind his head.

Jin smiled and pointed, "That is where she found me and that is where she found my swords."

"What?" asked both Fuu and Mugen.

"Did I not tell you that part of the story?"

"No you didn't." said Fuu, "Will you?"

"If you want to hear it."

Jin told the story of how Kumiko struggled to retrieve his swords from the river and ended up falling in. Both Fuu and Mugen were laughing hard by the end of it. They ended up leaning on each other and walking at the same time.

'Now I didn't think it was that amusing.' Jin thought with a smile.

Before they knew it there were at the end of the road and a house was near. The house was covered in flowers and a chestnut stallion was walking through the trees. When Sonne caught sight of Jin he neighed loudly and pranced over.

'You just can't walk can you?' he asked the horse in his mind, 'Kumiko was right; you do know that you are beautiful.'

Curious about the neigh that her horse just made, Kumiko poked her head from around the corner and thought she was dreaming.

'It just can't be him…' she thought in amazement.

She set down the bucket that she was going to feed Sonne with and took a few hesitant steps forward.

She looked closer and saw the same clothes as her Jin wore. Blue kimono, two swords, glasses; it had to be him!

Jin looked around and saw a bewildered Kawazoe Kumiko standing beside her house. He stopped stroking Sonne and walked towards her, but soon picked up a run. She too, was running towards him. Happy tears were streaking down her face as they locked into an embrace. Jin bent his head down and kissed her. It was totally different from the one when they first departed. This one is so much better. When they separated they laughed and hugged each other again. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mugen and Fuu talking to each other with their backs turned and stroking Sonne, acting as if they didn't just see what happened.

Kumiko looked up at him and smiled, then said:

"You came home."

_Author's Note_

**I lied, this is the last author's note. Yeah. Hope you liked the story. It took me awhile to read through it and split it up. haha Thanks.**

**HimmelsDraculina**


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